A University of Manchester-led study says chemical looping reforming could offer a practical route to low-carbon hydrogen for hard-to-electrify industries, combining hydrogen production with carbon capture and assessing how the technology might work at real industrial scales.
Key facts
- The study was led by researchers at The University of Manchester and published in Carbon Capture Science & Technology.
- It assessed chemical looping reforming at two representative scales: a 2 MW plant and a 600 MW facility.
- The most advanced designs achieved thermal efficiencies of up to 75% and captured between 90% and 99% of carbon dioxide emissions.
- The work was carried out with industrial partners and as part of RECYCLE, a £5.1 million project funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
What does this mean for students, researchers and industry?
The study matters most for researchers, engineers and industrial decision-makers focused on decarbonising sectors where electrification is difficult, including heavy industry, chemicals and refining. It points to a technology that could fit both decentralised industrial sites and large hydrogen production plants, depending on local infrastructure, heat integration opportunities and policy conditions.
For students and researchers in chemical engineering, the work is a concrete example of how reactor design, process modelling and plant-wide assessment can be combined to test whether an emerging technology can move beyond idealised concepts. The team also evaluated practical constraints such as valve performance, heat integration requirements and safety considerations.
- Smaller-scale option: a 2 MW plant suited to decentralised industrial applications.
- Larger-scale option: a 600 MW facility aligned with major industrial hydrogen demand.
- Potential output: the study says continuous operation at these scales could meet the electricity needs of roughly 5,000 homes and about 1.5 million homes, respectively.
How does chemical looping reforming differ from conventional hydrogen production?
Chemical looping reforming uses solid oxygen-carrier materials to move oxygen through a sequence of reactions, which inherently concentrates and separates carbon dioxide while producing heat. That heat then drives the transformation of methane and steam into a hydrogen-containing syngas, giving the process built-in carbon capture rather than relying on a separate capture system.
What did the Manchester team find?
The researchers found that the most advanced process designs could deliver high efficiency while capturing most of the carbon produced. In several scenarios, the system also generated excess steam that could be exported for external use, improving the environmental case further. The team said chemical looping reforming compared favourably with established low-carbon hydrogen routes in key measures of process efficiency at large scale.
Professor Vincenzo Spallina, the corresponding author, said the work reinforces the role of chemical looping as a valid solution for syngas and hydrogen generation and for future deployment. Lead author Dr Isabel Pazmino-Mayorga said the research shows the technology could deliver low-carbon hydrogen efficiently while capturing most of the carbon generated during the process for storage or use as a feedstock.
Why does deployment remain conditional?
The researchers conclude that the best hydrogen production route will depend on local energy systems, infrastructure and policy. They say chemical looping reforming looks particularly attractive where industrial heat integration opportunities exist and low-carbon electricity remains limited. The study’s value lies in that practical framing: it does not treat the technology as universally best, but as a candidate that could suit specific industrial settings.
The work was delivered as part of RECYCLE, a collaborative project backed by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The study was published on 19 October 2026.
